Fleming accidentally left out a bacterial culture of Staphylococcus which was contaminated by mold. He noticed that bacteria was unable to grow in parts of the dish where the mold was growing. (1928)

John Pemberton

It was originally meant as a miracle tonic for treating hangovers, but a batch was made using carbonated water instead of plain water, leading to this popular beverage. (1886)

Ruth Wakefield

Having run out of baker's chocolate, Wakefield substituted semi-sweet chocolate bits which were meant to melt completely into the dough, but instead this was invented. (1930)

Wilhelm C. Röntgen

While Röntgen was working with a cathode ray tube covered in opaque black paper, he noticed a fluorescent screen nearby was glowing, leading to this discovery. (1895)

Roy Plunkett

While developing a new CFC gas for refrigerators, Plunkett created this slick substance which is now used as a lubricant and to form non-stick surfaces. (1938)

Charles Goodyear

Goodyear accidentally dropped a glob of rubber-sulfur solution on a hot plate, and discovered that this process made the rubber firm and flexible, not shattering in cold temperatures. (1839)

Richard T. James

James noticed the unique way in which a dropped torsion spring had flip-flopped around on the floor, and replicated it using a long steel ribbon. (1943)

Harry Coover, Fred Joyner

Coover was creating a plastic to use in precision gun sights. He ended up producing an adhesive which polymerized rapidly when exposed to moisture, forming strong chemical bonds. (1942)

George Crum

A fussy customer kept sending back his fried potatoes, complaining that they were too thick and soggy. Frustrated, Crum sliced the potatoes extremely thin and stir-fried them, creating this snack. (1853)

Patsy Sherman, Samuel Smith

3M was developing fluorochemicals for use in aircrafts when a liquid solution accidentally stained a researcher's shoe. As the shoe became dirtier and worn, the stained spot remained clean. (1952)

Spencer Silver created an extremely weak adhesive while working for 3M. Later on, Fry used the adhesive on his paper bookmarks which could peel off without tearing the pages. (1974)

Wilson Greatbatch

While working on a device to record heart sounds, Greatbatch inserted the wrong resistor into the circuit, causing it to repeatedly pulse: on for 1.8 milliseconds, then off for 1 second. (1960)

Frank Epperson

Epperson left a cup with a mixture of powdered soda and water along with a stir stick outside in sub-zero temperatures, and returned to find the drink had frozen over. (1905)

Percy Spencer

Spencer was building magnetrons for radar sets. While standing near one he noticed the candy bar in his pocket began to melt, leading to the invention of this household appliance. (1945)

James Wright

While Wright was looking for a synthetic rubber material, silicone oil and boric acid were combined to form this sticky, gooey substance, later marketed as a toy. (1944)

William Herschel

Herschel first described it as a comet, but later noticed its circular orbit around the Sun. (1781)

James M. Schlatter

Schlatter was in the process of refining an anti-ulcer drug, when this chemical's sweet taste was discovered after some of it accidentally got onto Schlatter's finger in the lab. (1965)

n/a

Originally they were storage pots and plates made using a clay material called 'pygg'. Its similar pronunciation to another English word led to the creation of these distinctively-shaped containers. (18th century CE)

Constantin Fahlberg

Originally they were storage pots and plates made using a clay material called 'pygg'. Its similar pronunciation to another English word led to the creation of these distinctively-shaped containers. (18th century CE)

Leslie Hough, Shashikant Phadnis

Originally they were storage pots and plates made using a clay material called 'pygg'. Its similar pronunciation to another English word led to the creation of these distinctively-shaped containers. (18th century CE)